Illinois...

[Faraday40]

Found some yellowjackets this morning. Ouch!!!!

 

[Molpet]

Found some yellowjackets this morning. Ouch!!!!

Rotten things. Hope you aren't allergic and they didn't get you too bad.

I have some next to the house I need to eliminate. There's also a baldface hornets nest under the gutter right above... and some kind of little bees 3ft away from the YJ. The bees stung me when I lifted some mulch and tore the roof off their nest. But they aren't aggressive if I don't trash their house. So they can stay. I don't trust the yellow jackets, I just seen them last night.

 

[Faraday40]

Rotten things. Hope you aren't allergic and they didn't get you too bad.

I have some next to the house I need to eliminate. There's also a baldface hornets nest under the gutter right above... and some kind of little bees 3ft away from the YJ. The bees stung me when I lifted some mulch and tore the roof off their nest. But they aren't aggressive if I don't trash their house. So they can stay. I don't trust the yellow jackets, I just seen them last night.

3 stings and a bunch of bites. Benadryl Motrin iced and hydrocortisone. They look much better today

I took dog outside and pulled some weeds while waiting. They didn’t like that and I suddenly realized I had bees on me. I brushed them off and left the area. I was surprised that they continued to land on me. Thankfully my clothes stopped a lot of the stings. I was also surprised the dog didn’t get stung

 

[SnootyHen]

I'm allergic and avoid them like a plague but because I like to live dangerously, I do plant marigolds and things near my garden to attract them. But luckily mostly just bees and no wasps. I do have a very persistent wasp nest in my old hose box. My son has removed it so many times and it keeps coming back. Only one wasp and a partial nest and he removes it and destroys the entire thing. It must be a great spot that someone keeps coming back.

 

[cavemanrich]

Wasps, are carnivores. and yellow jackets possibly also. They usually start attacking people around September, when their food supply starts to vane. Not sure of the wasp's thinking,, of consuming large prey like humans I still don't have all the answers there.
Honey bees will not sting generally,, unless surprised, or bothered. I have plenty of those around by flowers. They do live about half block away by neighbor. I get some honey from him, when he harvests the hives.

 

[cavemanrich]

Living now in Cooper Hawk Territory. This is an infant, that we rescued from a bush. (was stuck there.) Placed onto a tree branch.
There are 3 young, and 2 adults.
They are not moving on anywhere. We had a family of Red Tail Hawks, living about a block away. Their tree was cut down due to being dead, so maybe the Reds moved on. Coopers filled in the gap. I now keep my chickens,, Banties in an enclosure during the day.

Tent, Screen house, plus a combination of dog cages placed together.

The Large fowl chickens, I still let them roam free when I'm in the backyard doing things. They always hang near brush cover anyways.
@Faraday40 ,,,, yes,, that is where the cuties spend their days,, provided its good weather. and I slip in the other bantams in with them.

 

[cavemanrich]

Both my neighbor and I keep banties. We have not encountered any looses,, We both keep them in safe runs. But I noticed that the squirrel population seems considerably smaller. I did notice,, since I do feed them BOSS regularly in their feeders.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

Hey guys,
Long shot...but does anyone know of anywhere in south central/southern IL I can find a feeder pig, and/or dwarf goats???

 

[NotAFarm]

Hey guys,
Long shot...but does anyone know of anywhere in south central/southern IL I can find a feeder pig, and/or dwarf goats???

Try looking here:

https://www.localharvest.org/

 

[Faraday40]

Living now in Cooper Hawk Territory. This is an infant, that we rescued from a bush. (was stuck there.) Placed onto a tree branch.
There are 3 young, and 2 adults.
They are not moving on anywhere. We had a family of Red Tail Hawks, living about a block away. Their tree was cut down due to being dead, so maybe the Reds moved on. Coopers filled in the gap. I now keep my chickens,, Banties in an enclosure during the day.

View attachment 3234188View attachment 3234189
Tent, Screen house, plus a combination of dog cages placed together.
View attachment 3234190

The Large fowl chickens, I still let them roam free when I'm in the backyard doing things. They always hang near brush cover anyways.
@Faraday40 ,,,, yes,, that is where the cuties spend their days,, provided its good weather. and I slip in the other bantams in with them.

Glad to know my babies are loved and safe.
The only things that helped me with Coopers Hawks:
1. Putting my dog in the yard at all times when chickens are out
2. Turkey guardians
3. Keeping chickens under cover/ locked up until the hawk gets hungry enough to move on..... which can take over a month. I've had them stake out the entrance to my coop daily for hours.

Things like CDs, owl statues, cap guns, banging pans, and super soakers only deter hawks while you're watching. As soon as you're inside, the hawks will come back. Here, the wildlife is not phased by human presence. A bold hawk will barely fly out of my reach. I must get out my hose or throw a few items near it to make a hawk fly to the neighbor's yard.